This invention relates generally to microsurgery of the eye, and more specifically to lens cataract surgery.
Opacification of lens material resulting in a cataract is a significant worldwide cause of visual disability. Vision can be restored by the removal of the cataractous lens using a procedure involving phacoemulsification and aspiration of the lens fragments from the eye. Prior to phacoemulsification, an opening called a capsulotomy is first made in the lens capsule that encases the lens. An ideal capsulotomy is round, visually centered, and of a prescribed diameter to fit the clinical need. A capsulotomy with these characteristics is difficult to achieve consistently with manually operated capsulorhrexis instruments.
While certain devices are capable of performing capsulotomies, more convenient and sterile surgical devices and methods for performing capsulotomies are desirable.